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A patient journey analysis: Identification and treatment of dementia with Lewy bodies
Victor Abler, Nazia Rashid, Ben Skoog, Rachel Halpern, Scott H. Bunner, Monica Frazer. Alzheimer s & Dementia, 2020-12-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Abstract Background Between 3.2%‐7.1% of dementia patients are diagnosed with DLB. There is limited research on the identification and treatment of DLB, indicating an unmet need for this condition.[2] [1] Hogan D, Fiest K, Roberts J, Maxwell C, Dykeman J, Pringsheim T, Jetté N. (2016). The Prevalence and Incidence of Dementia with Lewy Bodies: A Systematic Review. Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences / Journal Canadien Des Sciences Neurologiques, 43(S1), S83‐S95. doi:10.1017/cjn.2016.2. [2] Monfared A, Meier G, Perry R, Joe D. Burden of disease and current management of Dementia with Lewy Bodies: a literature review. Neurol Ther, 2019, 8:289‐305. Method This claims‐data analysis examined commercial and Medicare Advantage with Part D (MAPD) enrollees aged ≥40 years with ≥2 DLB diagnoses from 01Jun2016–31May2018. The earliest DLB diagnosis was the index date. Continuous insurance enrollment was required from 24 months before to 12 months after index. Patient characteristics, diagnoses, medication utilization, symptoms (e.g. behavioral, movement changes), and imaging tests were measured in 6‐month periods pre‐ and post‐index. Result The 974 patients identified had mean age of 78.3 years, were 56.6% male, 90.0% were MAPD enrollees, and had a mean Charlson comorbidity score of 2.87 (SD=2.05). Generally, percentages of patients with ≥1 diagnosis in a dementia or symptom change category or with ≥1 pharmacy fill for an antipsychotic or behavioral health (BH) medication (e.g., antidepressants, anxiolytics) trended higher in each 6‐month period prior to index date, were highest in the 6 months beginning on index, and decreased slightly 7‐12 months post‐index. Across periods, 31%‐90% of patients had multiple types of dementia diagnoses. BH medications (52.4%‐63.9% with ≥1 BH medication fill across periods) were prescribed to DLB patients more often than were antipsychotics (14.2%‐31.5% with ≥1 antipsychotic fill). CT scans (10.6%‐27.5%) and MRIs (5.3%‐13.0%) were the most prevalent imaging tests. Conclusion Percentages of patients with imaging tests, DLB symptoms, diagnoses and treatments for DLB increased as patients’ first DLB diagnosis neared and occurred at lower percentages 7‐12 months after initial diagnosis.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Abler, V., Rashid, N., Skoog, B., Halpern, R., Bunner, S. H., & Frazer, M. (2020). A patient journey analysis: Identification and treatment of dementia with Lewy bodies. Alzheimer s & Dementia. https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.047079
Vancouver
Abler V, Rashid N, Skoog B, Halpern R, Bunner SH, Frazer M. A patient journey analysis: Identification and treatment of dementia with Lewy bodies. Alzheimer s & Dementia. 2020. doi:10.1002/alz.047079.
BibTeX
@article{abler2020-6d3f04fc,
author = {Abler, Victor and Rashid, Nazia and Skoog, Ben and Halpern, Rachel and Bunner, Scott H. and Frazer, Monica},
title = {{A patient journey analysis: Identification and treatment of dementia with Lewy bodies}},
journal = {Alzheimer s \& Dementia},
year = {2020},
doi = {10.1002/alz.047079},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.047079}
}
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Key findings
- Result The 974 patients identified had mean age of 78.3 years, were 56.6% male, 90.0% were MAPD enrollees, and had a mean Charlson comorbidity score of 2.87 (SD=2.05).
Why it matters
This claims analysis described 974 patients with dementia with Lewy bodies, their characteristics, symptoms, medication use and imaging tests in the periods before and after diagnosis. It documents the patient journey and care patterns for this condition rather than testing any treatment, cure or prevention.
Study details
- Study designsystematic review
- Participants974
- Effect size3.2%; 7.1%; 56.6%
- Evidence strengthHigh
How this study scored 50/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a systematic review of all the studies on the question.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Alzheimer s & Dementia) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | Alzheimer s & Dementia: journal h-index 228 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 12 / 12 | A systematic review of all the studies on the question |
| Strength of evidence | 5 / 5 | Rated “high” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 2 / 5 | 2020 — within 10 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 2 / 4 | 974 participants |
| Effect reported | 2 / 3 | Effect reported as a number, without an interval or test |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomized / blinded | 0 / 2 | A review of other studies — randomization is not credited here |
| Times cited | 0 / 7 | Cited 0 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 0 / 5 | 0.0 citations a year over 8 year(s) since 2020 |
| Impact for its field and year | 0 / 6 | Cited 0.0× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 0 / 4 | Cited 0 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 1 / 4 | Last-listed author Monica Frazer: h-index 11 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 0 / 3 | Optum (United States): institution h-index 114 (OpenAlex) |
| Multicenter collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 2 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 1 / 2 | Not in PubMed, but has a DOI |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 50 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
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